§ MR. VESEY KNOX (Londonderry)I beg to ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer—(1) whether it is intended to secure the £10,000 a year promised to the Irish Teachers' Pension Fund by Act of Parliament; (2) whether the grant of £10,000 a year will render the Fund actuarially solvent, having regard alike to existing obligations and to future obligations to future teachers; and, if not, how the Treasury propose to make up the deficit; and, (3) whether it will he possible, out of the proposed grant to the Pension Fund, to make occasional compassionate allowances to the widows and children of teachers?
§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER (Sir MICHAEL HICKS BEACH,) Bristol, W.An answer cannot be given to the questions contained in the two first paragraphs of the Question until the inquiry now in progress has been completed, and the facts ascertained have been fully considered. So far as I am aware, the Teachers' Pension Fund is not, and will not be, liable for compassionate grants to widows or children. I may explain that the Government have recently offered to give some facilities to teachers who desire to effect life insurances on favourable terms
§ MR. W. FIELD (Dublin, St. Patrick)I bog to ask the Secretary to the Treasury—(1) whether the Pension Fund of the Irish National Teachers is under the control of the Treasury; (2) whether the second quinquennial revision, long overdue, is completed; and (3), when the audit and report may be expected?
* THE SECRETARY TO THE TREASURY (Mr. R. W. HANBDHY,) PrestonThe answer to the first paragraph is Yes. If the hon. Member will kindly refer to my answers to the hon. Member for Londonderry on the 8th June and 21st July, he will see that the second quinquennial valuation has been received and has been submitted to the Government Actuary, who has furnished a confidential Report upon it, and that a Committee; has been appointed to consider the steps necessary to establish the solvency of the Fund but has not yet reported. As soon as that Report has been received and considered by the Government, a full explanation of the position of the Fund will be made to Parliament.
§ MR. J. J. CLANCY (Dublin, Co., N.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether the proposed grant in aid of the Irish Teachers' Pension Fund will to any extent benefit the teachers in Irish Convent National Schools; and, if not, how is it proposed to recoup those teachers for the loss they have sustained by the now admittedly insufficient amounts granted to Ireland in respect of the school grant for the last four years?
§ * MR. GERALD BALFOURThe proposed grant in aid of the Teachers Pension Fund cannot benefit the teachers of some 268 convent and monastery schools who have not adopted the principle of classification, and are paid accordingly by capitation allowance instead of by class salaries. The Inquiry in the second part of the Question should be addressed to my right hon. Friend the Secretary to the Treasury.